BCCT TN+Alignment

Alignment of The Tennessee Early Childhood Early Learning
Developmental Standards with The Beyond Centers and

Circle Time Curriculum for Preschool Children
Beyond Centers & Circle Time (BCCT) is a play-based curriculum designed to
provide early educators with explicit ideas for creating loving, playful, and
stimulating experiences for young children, with and without disabilities, age
birth through kindergarten. Through the four scaffolding components: Arranging
the environment, pre-scaffolding the play experience, scaffolding the individual
child at work and play, and post-play scaffolding (recall), children are
supported in their development. Young children learn through play and handson experiences that provide opportunities for exploration and discovery.
According to David Elkind (1988) young children are permeable learners and
learn concepts best when they are embedded in meaningful experiences. The
Beyond Centers and Circle Time Curriculum is designed to provide early
educators with examples of experiences that support the development of the
whole child, in all domains. Each child has a unique developmental rhythm and
a quality curriculum provides daily opportunities for him to engage in
experiences that will allow him to practice and develop the skills and
knowledge needed for later school success. The Tennessee Early Childhood
Early Learning Developmental Standards for children birth-five years are
embedded in the daily schedules and lesson plans of the BCCT Curriculum
materials. These materials are:
Handbooks
Beyond Centers & Circle Time: Scaffolding and Assessing the
Play of Young Children
Beyond Centers & Circle Time Curriculum
Beyond Cribs & Rattles: Playfully Scaffolding the Development

of Infants and Toddlers
Beyond Differences & Diagnoses: A Celebration of Inclusion
of all Children
Videos
Beyond Building Up & Knocking Down: Scaffolding the Block Experience
Beyond ABCs & Writing My Name: Scaffolding the Pre-Literacy Experience
Food, Fun, and Family Style Meals: Making the Most of Mealtime
The Creative Pre-School Program Model
From Theories to Play
Beyond Centers and Circle Time Pre-Kindergarten Curriculum Theme
Series, which includes
Nine 4-week units with daily schedules and lesson plans. Unit themes
include:
Me and My Family
Real and Make-Believe
The Farm and The City
Insects and Spiders
Birds in My Neighborhood
Animals of the Jungle
Amphibians and Reptiles
Oceans and Ocean Life
Authors and Illustrators
Observation scales and developmental checklists for the following:
Gross Motor Development
Pre-Scissor and Cutting Development
Marker/Crayon and Easel Painting
Sensorimotor and Dramatic Play
Structured Construction Play
Patterning Development
Writing Development
Math, Science, Health, and Safety
Concepts in Cooking
Beyond Centers & Circle Time has been practiced and perfected through over
35 years of use by the staff and children of The Creative Pre-School located in
Tallahassee, Florida. The Beyond Centers and Circle Time Pre-Kindergarten
Curriculum Series is based on the theories of Lev Vygotsky, Jean Piaget, Erik
Erikson, Anna Freud, Howard Gardner, Sylvia Ashton Warner, Maria Clay and
David Elkind. The brain research as well as the research of Arnold Gesell,
Mildred Parten, Greta Fein, Kenneth Rubin, Sara Smilansky, Elizabeth Prescott
and Sybil Kritchevsky, and numerous other past and present contributors to the
knowledge base for the field of early childhood education have been used
through the years to substantiate and guide the design and implementation of
this curriculum work. This curriculum is also research-based through 25 years of
data collected on children with and without disabilities attending the Creative
Pre-School. The research and longitudinal follow-up supporting this curriculum
has shown that when children successfully master the stages of play, they are
developmentally guided toward success in reading, writing, and math skills.
Focusing on the intensity and density of well-planned, organized, and
scaffolded play experiences such as unit blocks, micro and macro dramatic
play, art, cooking, gross and fine motor development, fluid play, and emergent
literacy, adults using this curriculum will understand the stages of childrens play
behaviors and product creation. Through the use of this knowledge, adults
working with young children will be able to assess and scaffold each childs
individual developmental needs.
Below is a list of primary source theory works and research that have been used
in this effort.
Allen, K. E., and Marotz, L. (1989). Developmental profiles birth to six.
Albany, New York: Delmar.
Allen, K. E., and Marotz, L. (2003). Developmental profiles pre-birth through
twelve. (4th Ed.) Albany, New York: Delmar.
Ashton-Warner, S. (1963). Teacher. New York: A Bantam Book.
Clay, M. M. (1979). What did I write? Exeter, NH: Heinemann.
Elkind, D. E. (1988). Miseducation: Preschoolers at risk. New York:
Alfred A. Knopf.
Erikson, E. H. (1963). Childhood and society. (2nd ed.). New York: Norton.
Erikson, E. H. (1977). Toys and reason. New York: Norton.
Fein, G. G. (1976). A transformational analysis of pretending.
Developmental Psychology, 11, 291-296.
Fein, G. G., Moorin, E. R., & Enslein, J. (1982). Pretense and peer behavior:
An intersectoral analysis. Human Development. 25, 392-406.
Fein, G. G. (1979). Play with actions and objects. In B. Sutton-Smith (Ed.),
Play and Learning. 69-82. New York: Gardner.
Fein. G. G. (1981). Pretend play in childhood: An Integrative review. Child
Development, 52, 1095-1118.
Freud, A. (1968). Normality and pathology in childhood: Assessments of

development. New York: International Universities Press.
Freud, A. (1971). The ego and mechanisms of defense. New York:
International Universities Press.
Gardner, H. (1989 ). Artful scribbles: the significance of childrens drawings.
New York: Basic Books
Gardner, H. (1983). Frames of mind. New York: Basic Books
Gardner, H. (1993). Multiple intelligence: The theory in practice. New York:
Basic Books
Gardner, H. (1996). Are there additional intelligences? The case for
naturalist, spiritual, and existential intelligences. In Education,
information and transformation, ed. J. Kane. Englewood Cliffs, NJ:
Prentice Hall.
Gesell, A. (1928). Infancy and human growth. New Haven, CT: Gesell
Institute of Human Development.
Hanline, M. F., (1999). Supporting emergent literacy in play-based activities.
Teaching Exceptional Children, 4 (4), 10-15.
Hanline, M. F., Milton, S., & Phelps, P. (2001). Young childrens block
construction activities: Findings from 3 years of observation. Journal of
Early Intervention, 24 (3), 224-237.
Hart, B., & Risley, T. R. (1995). Meaningful differences in the everyday

experience of young American children. Baltimore, MD:
Paul H. Brookes.
Kamii, C & DeVries, R. (1978). Physical knowledge in preschool education.
New Jersey: Prentice-Hall.
Kritchevsky, S., Prescott, E. & Walling, L. (1969). Planning environments for
young children: Physical space. Washington, DC: NAEYC.
Levy, A. K., Schaefer, L., & Phelps, P. (1986). Increasing preschool
effectiveness: Enhancing the language abilities of 3-and 4-year old
children through planned sociodramatic play. Early Childhood
Research Quarterly, 1, 133-140.
Maslow, A. H. (1970). Maslows hierarchy of needs. In Motivation and
personality. New York: Harper & Row.
Parten, M. B. (1932). Social participation among preschool children.
Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 27, 243-269.
Phelps, P. C. (1986). An investigation of the functional relationship between
play space allotments, play materials and the social behavior of
toddlers. Unpublished dissertation, The Florida State University.
Phelps, P. C., & Hanline, M. F. (1999). Lets play blocks! Creating effective
learning experiences for young children. Teaching Exceptional Children,
32 (2), 62-67.
Piaget, J. (1972). The child and reality, problems of genetic psychology.
New York: Penguin Books.
Piaget, J. (1962). Play, dreams and imitation in childhood. New York:

W.W. Norton.
Pratt, C. (1948). I learn from children. New York: Simon & Shuster.
Reifel, S. (1982). The structure and content of early representational play:
The case of building blocks. In S. Hill & B. J. Barnes (Eds.), Young children
and their families. Lexington, MS: Heath.
Reifel, S. (1984). Block construction: Childrens developmental landmarks
in representation of space. Young Children, 39 (3), 61-67.
Reifel, S. (1984). Symbolic representation at two ages: Block buildings of a
story. Discourse Processes, 7, 11-20.
Rubin, K. H., Maioni, T. L., & Hornung, M. (1976). Free play behaviors in
middle-and lower-class preschoolers: Parten and Piaget revisited. Child
Development, 47, 414-419.
Smilansky, S. (1968). The effects of sociodramatic play on disadvantaged
preschool children. New York: John Wiley and Sons.
Smilansky, S., & Shefatya, L. (1990). Facilitating play: A medium for
promoting cognitive, social-emotional and academic development in
young children. Gaithersburg, MD: Psychological and Educational
Publications.
Smilansky, S., (1990). Sociodramatic play: Its relevance to behavior and
achievement in school. In E. Klugman & S. Smilansky (Eds.), Childrens
play and learning. New York: Teachers College.
Stannard, L., Wolfgang, C. H., Jones, I., & Phelps, P. (2001). A longitudinal
study of the predictive relations among construction play and
mathematical achievement. Early Child Development and Care, 167,
115-125.
Teganok D.W., Moran, J.D. III, DeLong, A.J., Brickey, J., & Ramassini, K.K..
Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher mental
processes. In M. Cole, V. John-Steiner, S. Scribner, & E. Souberman (Eds.),
Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Vygotsky, L. S. (1967). Play and its role in the mental development of the
child. Soviet Psychology, 5 (3), 6-18.
Vygotsky L. S. (1962). Thought and language. Translation newly revised
and edited by Alex Kozulin. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
Whitehurst, G.J., Arnold, D.S., Epstein, J.N., Angell, A.L., Smith, & Fischel, J.E.
(1994). A picture book reading intervention in day care and home for
children from low-income families. Developmental Psychology, 30,
679-689.
Whitehurst, G.J., Arnold, D.S., Epstein, J.N., Angell, A.L., Payne, A.C.,
Crone, D.A., & Fischel, J.E. (1994). Outcomes of an emergent literacy
intervention in Head Start. Journal of Educational Psychology, 86,
542-555.
Wolfgang, C. H., Stannard, L. L., & Jones, I. (2001). Block play performance
among preschoolers as a predictor of later school achievements in
mathematics. Journal of Research in Childhood Education, 15 (2),
173-180.
A complete bibliography can be found in the BCCT text, which is included in the
Beyond Centers & Circle Time Pre-Kindergarten Curriculum Theme Series. The
nine themes in the theme series provide early childhood educators with a
detailed morning schedule that includes lesson plans for the early morning
classroom arrangement, sharing circle, outside playtime, center time, and
literacy circle. Six DVDs are included which provide the opportunity for
continuous training on serving language rich meals, dramatic play episodes,
literacy circles, the theories that support a rich play environment, designing
literacy experiences, and continuous authentic assessment of childrens skills
and play abilities.
The Tennessee Early Childhood Early Learning Developmental Standards
arrange learning expectations from birth through age five. This alignment has
chosen to focus on ages 4-5, as this is the pre-kindergarten year. The learning
expectations for the 3-4 age group are also fully supported within the same
alignment examples. The sections of the Tennessee Early Childhood Early
Learning Developmental Standards, which will be aligned with The Beyond
Centers and Circle Time Curriculum for Pre-Kindergarten Children a
re as follows:
Section 1
Speech and Language Development
Section 2
Early Literacy
Section 3
Math and Science
Section 4
Social Studies
Section 5
Creative Arts
Section 6
Approaches to Learning
Section 7
Physical Development
SECTION 1:
SPEECH AND LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT
DOMAIN:
LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT
AREA OF LEARNING: COMMUNICATION

COMPONENT:
RECEPTIVE LANGUAGE
LEARNING EXPECTATIONS:
Listens with understanding and interest to conversations, directions, music

and a variety of reading materials.
Demonstrates understanding of conversations through own actions and

responses to directions and questions
The BCCT curriculum for birth through five describes the value of receptive
language skill development to later school success and provides early
educators with ideas that support the development of receptive language skills.
The three- and four-year-old Pre-Kindergarten Theme Series provides
opportunities for practicing receptive language skills through out each day.
Learning Expectations are supported through the following:
1. The Sharing and Story Circles described each morning in each theme are
supported by a quality childrens book. (An example can be found on page
5 of the theme Real and Make-Believe: A World of Imagination and in all four
weeks outlined in the nine themes.) These circles use dialogic reading
techniques to encourage listening skills.
2. The mealtime training video, Food, Fun, and Family Style Meals depicts a
quality family style meal experience that demonstrates the use of
conversational language.
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3. The Pre-Scaffolding Circles use quality childrens books and questioning

techniques to develop language skills. (An example can be found on page
20 of the theme Real and Make-Believe: A World of Imagination and in all
four weeks outlined in the nine themes.)
4. The Post-Scaffolding Circles are recall experiences that allow children to
practice speaking before a group and listening to shared events.
5. The Literacy Circles offer the children daily opportunities to listen to the
sounds of letters, play with words, and develop alphabetic knowledge and
phonemic awareness.
6. The orderly transitions to play described in each theme begin by expecting
the children to follow a two-step direction moving to a three- and four-step
direction as the children mature.
COMPONENT: EXPRESSIVE LANGUAGE

Uses language for a variety of purposes
Uses conventions of speech while expressing ideas
Participates in conversations
Speaks clearly enough to be understood

1. The DVDs provided in the Theme Series demonstrate numerous literacy
and play experiences where children are encouraged to use expressive
language in their play with other children and participation in group
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discussions. (Specific examples are Food, Fun, and Family Style Meals and
Scaffolding Dramatic Play.)
2. Family style meals are encouraged in the curriculum with conversation
between children and the adults as a major focus. (View the DVD Food,
Fun, and Family Style Meals for specific details.)
3. Rich well-planned dramatic play experiences are described for each
week of each theme series. Dramatic play has been shown through
research to be an important vehicle for children to practice receptive
and expressive language skills.
4. All of the sharing and literacy circles discussed in the theme series provide
experiences for the children to discuss their ideas and provide information
to the group.
5. All of the recall experiences discussed in the theme series provide
experiences for the children to share their products and ideas with the
group.
SECTION 2:
EARLY LITERACY
DOMAIN:
COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT
AREA OF LEARNING: EARLY LITERACY
COMPONENT:
LISTENING AND UNDERSTANDING
Understands story events and overall theme, and conversations
Relates plot of story to self and own experiences
Can organize more events and more complex events in sequential order
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1. The BCCT Curriculum theme series is filled with lesson plans that provide early
childhood educators with the information needed to use quality childrens
books with young children and provide them rich opportunities to participate
in dialogic reading scenarios. The theme series provides over 60 childrens
books to assist educators in these experiences.
2. Recall experiences described at the end of each center time offer children
opportunities to relate own experiences and connect them to the plot of the
topic under discussion.
3. The BCCT Curriculum provides early educators with lesson plans filled with
daily experiences that provide young children opportunities to learn and
practice verbal expression and communication skills. Research has shown
that dramatic play can be a vehicle for the development of these skills. The
dramatic play scenarios suggested in the theme series provide children with
many rich opportunities to act out stories found in books and create their
own.
COMPONENT:
VERBAL EXPRESSION AND COMMUNICATION
Engages in dialogue (conversation with others)
Organizes major steps of an event or story in sequential order
Uses an increasingly complex and varied spoken vocabulary and

sentence structure
Asks many types of questions and responds correctly to many types

of questions
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The BCCT curriculum theme series provides daily opportunities for early
childhood educators to expand childrens vocabularies through the language
rich discussions of animals and events described in the lesson plans.
1. The Sharing and Story Circles described each morning in each theme are
supported by a quality childrens book. (An example can be found on
page 5 of the theme Real and Make-Believe: A World of Imagination and
in all four weeks outlined in each of the nine themes.)
2. Children and families are encouraged to bring objects and books that
can be used to expand vocabulary about the theme under discussion
and emphasis letter sounds. (Examples can be found in the Parent Letter
provided in the theme series.)
3. The mealtime training video, Food, Fun, and Family Style Meals depicts a
quality family style meal experience that demonstrates the use of
conversational language.
4. The Pre-Scaffolding Circles use a quality childrens book and questioning
techniques to develop language skills. (An example can be found on
page 20 of the theme Real and Make-Believe: A World of Imagination
and in all four weeks outlined in the nine themes.)
5. The Post-Scaffolding Circles are recall experiences that allow children to
practice speaking before a group and listening to shared events.
6. The Literacy Circles offer the children daily opportunities to listen to the
sounds of letters, play with words, and develop alphabetic knowledge
and phonemic awareness. (An example can be found on page 24 of the
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theme Real and Make-Believe: A World of Imagination and in all four

weeks outlined in the nine themes.)
COMPONENT:
PHONOLOGICAL AWARENESS
Develops increasing sense of syllable structure in oral words
Produces rhyming words
Starts to develop an awareness of beginning sounds in words
Continues to increase awareness of the syllable structure of oral words

1. The BCCT curriculum theme series uses poetry and rhymes throughout the
nine themes and encourages children to discover the rhyming words. (An
example can be found on page 50 of the theme Real and Make-Believe:
A World of Imagination and on page 33 of the theme Animals That Live in
The Jungle: A Walk on the Wild Side as well as throughout all nine themes
in the series.)
2. Onset-rime experiences give children opportunities to play with the
beginning sounds of letters. Many of these lesson plans can be found in
the Literacy Circle Time experiences found each day of the four weeks in
the nine theme series. (An example can be found on page 29 and 92 of
the theme Oceans and Ocean Life: Creatures that Live in the Sea.)
3. Compound words are discussed throughout each theme as they appear
in books and on word charts. (An example can be found on page 41 of
the theme The Farm and the City: Rural and Urban Settings.)
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4. Activities that allow children to clap, stomp, etc. to the rhythm of the
syllable structure of words are suggested in literacy and sharing circles
throughout the theme series. (An example of such an experience can be
found on page 74 of the theme The Farm and the City: Rural and Urban
Settings.)
COMPONENT:
PRINT AWARENESS
Understands concept of spoken and written word and that alphabet

letters have individual names
Shows interest in purposeful writing
Shows good understanding of conventions of print
Demonstrates good word awareness, calls attention to print in the

environment, and recognizes some common words
Routinely engages in purposeful reading and writing

The BCCT Theme Series offers lesson plans throughout each day that provide
early educators opportunities that allow children to practice meaningful
developmentally appropriate reading and writing experiences. Books, paper,
markers, crayons, and pencils are available in the environmental set-ups
planned for the dramatic play scenarios, center time, early morning, and
outside play.
1. The Parent Letters explain to the families the topics and letters under
discussion during the month. These letters encourage families to send
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objects that begin with the letters under discussion and sharing items and
books for the topic of the theme.
2. Each sharing circle focuses on the new objects and words brought by the
children. These words are written on charts for later discussion. Objects
are placed on a table with a word card. (An example of this experience
can be found on page 7 in The Farm and the City: Rural and Urban
Settings and in the sharing circle throughout each theme in the series.)
3. Each literacy circle, pre-scaffolding center experience, cooking and art

activity supports the learning expectations of this component. Each of
these experiences begins with a discussion of vocabulary, a story, and a
question and answer period. (Examples of such experiences can be found
on pages 40 and 41 in The Farm and the City: Rural and Urban Settings
and in the sharing circles, literacy circles, pre-scaffolding center
experiences, cooking and art activities, throughout each theme in the
series.)
COMPONENT:
VISUAL DISCRIMINATION
Discriminates likenesses and differences in black and white shapes,

figures, and designs with subtle differences in detail or orientation
Discriminates likenesses and differences in symbols

1. Research has shown that play with blocks and other structured
construction materials such as legos help children develop skills with
shape, detail, and orientation. BCCT encourages the use of daily
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structured construction play experiences. (Examples can be found in

each theme in the center time and early morning environmental set-up.)
2. The lesson plans for Tuesday and Thursday during each week of each
theme focuses on experiences that allow children to work with letters and
geometric shapes. (Examples can be found on pages 39-42 in the theme
Animals of the Jungle: A Walk on the Wild Side.)
3. The lesson plans for the sharing and literacy circles provide many
opportunities for the children to develop the skills and knowledge in this
component. (Examples can be found on pages 45 and 46 of the theme
Authors and Illustrators: A Visit with Rosemary Wells and Dr. Seuss.)
4. Each theme has a geometric shape that is emphasized. Working with
and comparing flat and three-dimensional geometric shapes helps
children develop visual discrimination skills. (An example can be found on
page 18 of the theme Animals of the Jungle: A Walk on the Wild Side.)
COMPONENT:
VISUAL WHOLE-PART-WHOLE RELATIONSHIPS
Completes puzzles of 8-20 pieces
Produces a two-dimensional design with parts that vary by color and

shape; constructs representations of objects from parts, with no model

1. Research has shown that play with blocks and other structured
construction materials such as legos helps children develop skills with
shape, detail, and orientation. BCCT encourages the use of daily
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structured construction play experiences. (Examples can be found in

each theme in the center time and early morning environmental set-up.)
2. Puzzles are a part of many early morning and center time environmental
set-ups. (Examples can be found in each theme in the early morning and
center time environmental set-ups. See page 4 of the theme Animals in
the Jungle: A Walk on the Wild Side.)
3. Bead-stringing and other three-dimensional patterning experiences are
listed in the Tuesday and Thursday center time environmental set-ups.
(See pages 27 and 28 in the theme The Farm and the City: Rural and
Urban Settings.)
COMPONENT:
VISUAL SEQUENCING (PATTERNING)
Reproduces simple color, size and shape patterns from a

paper model

1. The BCCT curriculum theme series provides many opportunities for children
to see and practice creating patterns through the experiences suggested
in the block, art, and fine motor activities throughout the theme series.
2. The Tuesday and Thursday center time focus on fine motor provides for
the use of concrete materials such as mosaics, beads for stringing, and
colored blocks. These materials help children develop the knowledge
and skill needed for reproducing patterns.
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3. Numerous sharing circles and other pre-scaffolding experiences suggest

activities that allow children to look for patterns in materials. (An example
of such an activity can be found on page 25 of the theme Authors and
Illustrators: A Visit with Rosemary Wells and Dr. Seuss.)
COMPONENT:
LETTER RECOGNITION
Begins to recognize letters
Begins to recognize frequently occurring uppercase and some of the most

frequently occurring lowercase letters

1. Each theme has a parent letter that tells parents how they can help with
the theme and the letters, shape, and concepts that will be the focus of
the month. Letters and letter recognition is a major part of each theme
and can be found discussed in every sharing and literacy circle lesson
plan. (An example of a lesson plan that focuses on letter recognition can
be found in the theme Authors and Illustrators: A Visit with Rosemary Wells
and Dr. Seuss on page 57. Similar lessons can be found in the sharing and
literacy circles throughout the theme series.)
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SECTION 3:
MATH AND SCIENCE
DOMAIN:
AREA OF LEARNING: MATH
COMPONENT:
NUMBER AND OPERATIONS
Begins to identify and label objects using numbers
Develops understanding of numbers and their association with objects

1. The basic math knowledge of the concepts of number should be
imbedded throughout each day. Young children do not learn to relate to
quantities and the numerals that symbolically represent those quantities
without daily meaningful experiences with counting quantities of objects
and events. The BCCT Theme Series provides numerous experiences each
day for children to develop mathematical knowledge of quantities
through the counting of objects during art, blocks, cooking experiences,
outside gross motor games, meals, and sharing circles. (A typical example
can be found on page 56 of the theme Authors and Illustrators: A Visit
with Rosemary Wells and Dr. Seuss.)
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COMPONENT:
PATTERNS AND ALGEBRA
Explores and begins to sort and classify objects
Identifies, describes, and extends patterns

1. All play materials throughout the inside and outside of a program using
the BCCT curriculum should be classified and organized. Daily
experiences in reorganizing the play materials help children develop
these skills and knowledge. The ability to classify and organize materials in
the concrete world is directly related to the ability to organize and classify
letters into patterns that create words. IQ is measured by ones ability to
see patterns and to organize and classify concepts.
2. The BCCT curriculum provides daily experiences for children to develop
these skills through experiences with literacy and art materials, blocks, and
other structured construction materials such as legos.
COMPONENT:
MEASUREMENT
Begins to demonstrate understanding of time, length, weight, capacity

and temperature

1. The BCCT Theme Series provides daily opportunities for children to
develop an understanding of time, length, weight, capacity and
temperature. The weather, which includes measuring the temperature, is
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done each morning in the sharing circle. Block play provides numerous
opportunities for children to measure length and weight of objects. The
discussion of time, what comes next, and the order of the days events
are discussed in the pre-scaffolding experiences before center time each
day and in the recall activities at the end of center time.
2. The cooking experiences in each theme provide the children with

opportunities to experience the passing of time as they wait for their
product to bake. (An example can be found on page 60 of the theme
Animals of the Jungle: A Walk on the Wild Side.)
COMPONENT:
SPACIAL SENSE AND GEOMETRY
Becomes aware of personal space during active exploration of

physical environment
Explores and recognizes the size, shape and spatial arrangement

of real objects

1. A geometric shape is explored throughout each theme in the series. The
experiences planned during each theme allow children many
opportunities to discover, use, and explore the characteristics of each
shape. (An example of such an experience can be found on pages 15,
16, and 17 of the theme Oceans and Ocean Life: Creatures that Live in
the Sea.
2. The daily use of unit blocks discussed in the Theme Series provide
experiences during which children can discover, use, and explore the
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three dimensional qualities of each geometric shape represented in the

unit block set.
3. The gross motor games and experiences found in the Theme Series
provide the children with daily opportunities to develop an awareness of
their personal space and the position of objects in their environment. (An
example of such as experience can be found on pages 9 and 10 in the
theme The Farm and the City: Rural and Urban Settings and page 10 in
the theme Insects and Spiders: Not-So-Creepy Crawlers.)
COMPONENT:
PROBLEM SOLVING AND ANALYZING DATA
Begins to develop foundation for linking concepts and procedures with

active experiences

1. During the lesson plans for the sharing circles, which are provided each
morning in the Theme Series, early childhood educators are encouraged
to count the number of children present and absent and often make a
graph using the number of boys and girls present or another variable that
can be easily discovered such as the number of children who are four
and the number who are five.
2. Counting and measuring ingredients is an integral part of each cooking
experience provided in Friday lesson plans. (Examples can be found on
pages 39 and 40 of the theme, Birds in My Neighborhood: Protecting Our
Feathered Friends.)
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3. Counting is an integral part of all art and block building experiences as

well as meals.
DOMAIN:
AREA OF LEARNING: SCIENCE
COMPONENT:
LIFE SCIENCE
Recognizes that living things are made up of parts
Recognizes that people use their five senses to explore their environment
Recognizes that living things live in different environments

1. The body parts of animals and how they use them is discussed throughout
the themes that focus on kinds of animals. (The body parts of insects and
spiders are discussed throughout the theme, Insects and Spiders: Not-SoCreepy Crawlers as an example for the first learning expectations.)
2. The BCCT Curriculum Theme Series is filled with information that will help
early childhood educators create interesting experiences that are filled
with information that will help young children better understand the living
creatures in their world. The vocabulary, scientific information about
animals, and suggested experiences are specifically designed to help
young children develop the knowledge needed to successfully fulfill the
expectations of this area of learning. (A few of the many possible
examples can be found in the following themes: Pages 40 and 43, 66 and
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67, as well as pages 91 through 95 of the theme, Animals of the Jungle: A

Walk On the Wild Side. Pages 42 through 43 in the theme, Amphibians
and Reptiles: Slippery and Slithery Animals.)
3. Each cooking, fluid play, and art experience encourages children to use
their senses to discover information about their world.
COMPONENT:
EARTH AND SPACE SCIENCE
Recognizes the concept of day and night
Recognizes daily weather conditions
Recognizes that time and temperature can be measured with a clock

and thermometer
Recognizes a variety of earth materials by their observable properties

(rocks, sand, dirt)
Classifies materials by their elements

1. Day and night and the animals that are nocturnal are discussed in the
theme, Real and Make-Believe: A World of Imagination.
2. The weather, day of the week, season, and month is discussed during
each sharing circle, which is planned for each morning during each
theme series. (An example can be found on page 6 of the theme, Real
and Make-Believe: A World of Imagination.)
3. Time and temperature are measured and used during each cooking
experience that is planned for the four Fridays in each theme series.
26
(Examples can be found on pages 77 and 78 of the theme, Real and

Make-Believe: A World of Imagination.)
4. The daily play experiences planned with water, sand, rocks, dirt and other
fluid materials give children many experiences to develop the knowledge
needed to recognize a variety of earth materials and classify them by
their elements.
COMPONENT:
PHYSICAL SCIENCE
Recognizes the basic concept that forces can move objects
Recognizes that objects have observable properties that can change

over time and under different conditions
Recognizes that the sun gives us light
Recognizes that sound is produced when two objects collide

1. These learning expectations are embedded through the BCCT Theme
Series. The basic foundation of the learning process requires that children
be provided with many opportunities to explore and discuss materials.
The cooking and art lesson plans in the Theme Series are filled with
opportunities to practice and develop these skills and knowledge.
2. The outside play experiences planned with sand, water, and mud as well
as micro-animals and plants allow the children to develop these skills and
knowledge.
3. The Sharing Circle planned for each morning discusses the weather and
the effect that the sun has on our day.
27
4. All music experiences using instruments allow the children to make sounds
by creating a collision with two objects. (Example: hands on a drum)
SECTION 4:
SOCIAL STUDIES
DOMAIN:
COGNITIVE AND SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL

DEVELOPMENT
AREA OF LEARNING: SOCIAL STUDIES
COMPONENT:
HUMAN INTERACTIONS/CULTURES
Discriminates individual, culture and community
Develops growing awareness of jobs and what is required to

perform them
Begins to understand the reason for rules

1. The entire BCCT Theme Series is written to provide children with daily
opportunities to understand rules and why they are necessary. The prescaffolding experiences before each activity whether inside or outside
provide the children with the information they will need to use the
materials appropriately and demonstrate the behavior needed to be
success.
2. The theme, Me and My Family: Celebrating Our Similarities and
Differences provides opportunities for the children to explore their family
structures and those of their friends. Parents are invited to visit to discuss
28
their jobs both inside and outside the home. Discussions in sharing circles
and pre-scaffolding group discussions are planned to provide children
opportunities to develop the skills and knowledge needed for these
learning expectations. (Examples can be found on pages 19 and 20 of
the theme, Me and My Family: Celebrating Our Similarities and
Differences.)
3. The sharing circles and pre-scaffolding discussions in the Theme Series
emphasize the jobs that are needed in the classroom. Cleanup time
helps children to participate in preparing the classroom for the next
activities. Discussion of the work helps children develop an awareness of
how their behavior affects others.
4. The outdoor games, cooking and art activities planned in the Theme
Series help the children to learn to take a turn and follow the rules of the
activity. (Examples can be found on pages 57 and 58 of the theme, The
Farm and the City: Rural and Urban Settings.)
COMPONENT:
HISTORY
Identifies common events and routines
Begins to categorize time intervals
Recognizes the changes in environment

1. The elements in this component are experienced during the sharing circles
and the pre-scaffolding experiences described in the lesson plans of each
29
theme in the BCCT series. (Examples can be found on pages 65 and 66 of

the theme, The Farm and the City: Rural and Urban Settings.)
COMPONENT:
GEOGRAPHY/ECONOMICS
Begins to express and understand concepts and language of geography

in the context of her classroom, home and community
Begins to understand that people need food, clothing and shelter
Begins to understand what services the community workers provide
Begins to understand the concept of money

1. The concept of money is presented as different dramatic play scenarios
are arranged that require the use of money such as the vegetable store
on pages 60 and 61 in the theme, The Farm and the City: Rural and Urban
Settings and the pet shop on page 43 in the theme Authors and
Illustrators: A Visit with Rosemary Wells and Dr. Seuss.
2. Unit block area provides opportunities for children to build structures found
in their community and the places where they live. (Examples can be
found on page 83 in the theme, Me and My Family: Celebrating Our
Similarities and Differences and in the art experiences lesson plan on
pages 81 and 82 in the same theme.)
30
SECTION 5:
CREATIVE ARTS
DOMAIN:
COGNITIVE AND SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL

DEVELOPMENT
AREA OF LEARNING: CREATIVE ARTS

COMPONENTS:
MUSIC/ART/MOVEMENT AND DRAMATIC PLAY
Responds to sounds
Uses sounds
Focuses on and show fascination for fun things
Scribbles and paints
Uses a variety of art materials for tactile experience and exploration
Responds to artistic creations or events
Controls body to participate in creative movement and drama
Begins to purposefully act on the environment

1. Songs and other music activities are embedded throughout the BCCT
Theme Series. (An example of a lesson plan can be found on pages 15
and 16 of the theme, Birds in My Neighborhood: Protecting our Feathered
Friends.)
2. Poems, songs, and finger plays are a part of each weeks lesson plans in
the nine-week series. (Examples of poems, songs, and finger plays can be
found on pages 44, 45, and 46 of the theme, Amphibians and Reptiles:
Slippery and Slithery Animals.)
31
3. Lesson plans for games are included in each outdoor play lesson plan.
(An example can be found on pages 27-28 of the theme, Authors and
4. Painting and drawing with crayons and markers are in each lesson plan
suggested for early morning, center time, and outside play. The BCCT
curriculum provides early childhood educators with developmental stages
that help interpret the symbolic development of young children as they
paint and draw. These stages of symbolic development are included in a
series of posters that can be mounted on the wall as well as in the
assessment tools.
5. Dramatic play scenarios are planned throughout each theme in the
Theme Series and a DVD entitled Scaffolding Dramatic Play included in
the support materials provided in the theme series.
6. Stages of dramatic play and social interaction are included in the
authentic assessment materials provided in the theme series support
materials.
32
SECTION 6:
APPROACHES TO LEARNING
DOMAIN:
SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT
AREA OF LEARNING: APPROACHES TO LEARNING
COMPONENTS:
SELF-CONCEPT/COOPERATION
Uses words and seeks adult help when needed to resolve conflicts
Participates in the group life of the class

1. The conflict resolution strategies used in the BCCT Curriculum are
explained in detail in the text Beyond Differences and Diagnoses. These
strategies help adults understand the stages of childrens behavior and
how to encourage their development of language and problem solving
skills.
2. The discipline policy used for this curriculum is published in the text Beyond
Differences and Diagnoses that encourages the use of language to get
their needs met.
3. The BCCT curriculum uses a unique method of counting play spaces that
ensures that there are always enough play materials available for the
children to make choices and work with. When there is enough for the
children to play with and the adults model the appropriate behavior and
use language that encourages children to solve problems rather than
engage in physical conflict, children learn to take turns and share.
(Examples of counting play spaces can be found throughout each
theme. Pages 21 through 24 in the theme, Real and Make-Believe: A
33
World of Imagination illustrates a center time environmental arrangement

for 20 children using 56 play spaces.)
4. Games are planned during each outside play period that provide
children opportunities to practice give and take interactions. (An example
can be found in the theme, Ocean and Ocean Life: Creatures that Live
in the Sea on page 24 and page 86.
COMPONENTS:
SELF CONTROL
Demonstrates self confidence
Follows simple classroom rules and routines and uses classroom

materials carefully
Shows empathy and caring for others

1. Children develop self-confidence when the experiences meet their
developmental needs and the adults offer encouragement and support
when necessary. The BCCT Theme Series offers a multitude of experiences
that can be successfully used with children on different developmental
levels. The easel, for example, allows each child to successfully paint
producing a symbolic representation appropriate for his development.
Children can be successful in every activity at their own developmental
level. Success allows children to feel safe and confident to continue
trying and improving.
2. All pre-scaffolding experiences are planned to provide the children with
information that will help them to use the materials correctly and make
34
appropriate choices for both the activities they engage in and their
behavior.
3. The conflict resolution strategies used in the BCCT Curriculum are
explained in detail in the text Beyond Differences and Diagnoses. These
strategies help adults understand the stages of childrens behavior and
how to encourage their development of language and problem solving
skills.
4. The discipline policy used for this curriculum is published in the text Beyond
Differences and Diagnoses that encourages the use of language to get
their needs met.
5. Feelings and caring for others is embedded throughout the curriculum
series. (An example can be found on page 15 in the theme, Authors and
COMPONENTS:
MANAGEMENT OF SELF WITHIN THE LEARNING

ENVIRONMENT
Shows eagerness and curiosity as a learner
Shows some self direction
Attends to task and seeks help when encountering a problem
Approaches tasks with flexibility and inventiveness

1. The BCCT curriculum series provides early educators with nine themes
chosen because they have sparked the interest of preschool boys and
girls for over 35 years. The topics of five of the themes focus on animals
35
and are filled with information and experiences that will help children
become eager learners, who are curious about their world.
2. The BCCT curriculum uses a unique method of counting play spaces that
ensures that there are always enough play materials available for the
children to make choices and work with. When there is enough for the
children to play with and the adults model the appropriate behavior and
use language that encourages children to solve problems rather than
engage in physical conflict, children learn to take turns and share as well
as make wise use of their time. (Examples of counting play spaces can be
found throughout each theme. Pages 21- 24 in the theme, Real and
Make-Believe: A World of Imagination illustrates a center time
environmental arrangement for 20 children using 56 play spaces.)
3. When the experiences provided and the adult scaffolding is appropriately
matched to each childs development, they will approach tasks with
confidence and determination. When tasks are too difficult and
mismatched to the childrens development they become apprehensive
and insecure about their abilities. When they stop trying they cannot
practice the skills needed to develop the early stages needed more a
more complicated task later. (An example can be found on the DVD
Literacy Throughout the Day. During the sound game with Ms. Susie all
answers are accepted and the children are eager to participate.)
4. Materials for exploration and creative construction are provided both
inside and outside the classroom in each BCCT theme. When children are
provided opportunities to glue, draw, paint, cut, and construct as their
imaginations dictate they develop creativity and inventiveness. There are
no worksheets or pre-made art activities in any of the BCCT theme
experiences. (Examples can be found on pages 16, 17, and 18 and
36
pages 43, 44, and 45 of the theme, Oceans and Ocean Life: Creatures
that Live in the Sea.)
SECTION 7:
PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT
DOMAIN:
AREA OF LEARNING: GROSS MOTOR
COMPONENTS:
MOVEMENT AND COORDINATION
Moves with balance and control to perform simple, large motor tasks
Coordinates movements to perform more complex tasks

1. The BCCT Curriculum Theme Series provides early educators with a
checklist of gross motor skills that are appropriate for the preschool child.
The items should be assessed during the first weeks of the year and
information should be added as the childs development changes.
2. The outdoor play lesson plans contain numerous activities that will help
children develop gross motor skills. (Examples can be found on pages 67
and 68 of the theme, the Farm and the City: Rural and Urban Settings.)
37
DOMAIN:
AREA OF LEARNING: FINE MOTOR
COMPONENT:
FINE MOTOR
Uses strength and control to perform simple fine motor tasks
Uses eye-hand coordination to perform fine motor tasks

1. The BCCT Curriculum Theme Series provides daily experiences that allow
children to practice fine motor skills during the early morning activities,
outdoor play, and center time. The art and cooking experiences are filled
with opportunities to color, paint, cut, and stir. (Examples can be found on
pages 37 and 38 of the theme, Real and Make-Believe: A World of
Imagination and the art activity explained on pages 20, 21, and 22 of the
theme, Birds in My Neighborhood: Protecting Our Feathered Friends.)
2. The BCCT Curriculum Theme Series provides early educators with a
checklist of fine motor skills including cutting, drawing, and painting stages
that are appropriate for the preschool child. The items should be assessed
during the first weeks of the year and information should be added as the
childs development changes.
38
DOMAIN:
AREA OF LEARNING: HEALTH PRACTICES
COMPONENT:
PERSONAL AND SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
Performs some self-help skills independently
Follows basic health and safety rules

1. The BCCT Curriculum Theme Series uses cooking experiences to teach the
children about new foods and nutrition as well as appropriate hand
washing techniques. (Examples of such lesson plans can be found on
pages 34, 35, and 36 of the theme, Authors and Illustrators: A Visit with
Rosemary Wells and Dr. Seuss and pages 34, 35, and 36 of the theme,
Amphibians and Reptiles: Slippery and Slithery Animals.)
2. The BCCT Curriculum Theme Series provides a DVD, Food, Fun, and Family
Style Meals that shows an early childhood educator teaching proper selfhelp skills and manners for the table such as serving their own food,
pouring their milk from a pitcher, chewing with their mouths closed, and
not talking with food in their mouths.
3. Children can learn many self-help skills needed for dressing during their
play in the dramatic play scenarios described in the theme series.
4. Children learn and practice the skills of hand washing and toileting
throughout each day.
39
5. The BCCT Curriculum Theme Series describes daily activities that

encourage exercise and promote physical fitness. (Examples can be
found in all of the outside play lesson plans such as the movement
experience suggested on page 68 of the theme, Birds in My
Neighborhood: Protecting our Feathered Friends.)
40

BCCT TN+Alignment

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BCCT TN+Alignment

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Alignment of The Tennessee Early Childhood Early Learning

Developmental Standards with The Beyond Centers and

Beyond Centers & Circle Time Curriculum

Beyond Cribs & Rattles: Playfully Scaffolding the Development

Real and Make-Believe

The Farm and The City

Insects and Spiders

Animals of the Jungle

Amphibians and Reptiles

Oceans and Ocean Life

Authors and Illustrators

Observation scales and developmental checklists for the following:

Gross Motor Development

Pre-Scissor and Cutting Development

Marker/Crayon and Easel Painting

Sensorimotor and Dramatic Play

Beyond Centers & Circle Time Curriculum

Structured Construction Play

Math, Science, Health, and Safety

Beyond Centers & Circle Time Curriculum

Beyond Centers & Circle Time Curriculum

Freud, A. (1968). Normality and pathology in childhood: Assessments of

Beyond Centers & Circle Time Curriculum

Hart, B., & Risley, T. R. (1995). Meaningful differences in the everyday

Piaget, J. (1962). Play, dreams and imitation in childhood. New York:

Beyond Centers & Circle Time Curriculum

Beyond Centers & Circle Time Curriculum

Speech and Language Development

Math and Science

Beyond Centers & Circle Time Curriculum

SPEECH AND LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT

AREA OF LEARNING: COMMUNICATION

Listens with understanding and interest to conversations, directions, music

Demonstrates understanding of conversations through own actions and

Beyond Centers & Circle Time Curriculum

3. The Pre-Scaffolding Circles use quality childrens books and questioning

COMPONENT: EXPRESSIVE LANGUAGE

Uses language for a variety of purposes

Uses conventions of speech while expressing ideas

Speaks clearly enough to be understood

Learning Expectations are supported through the following:

Beyond Centers & Circle Time Curriculum

AREA OF LEARNING: EARLY LITERACY

LISTENING AND UNDERSTANDING

Understands story events and overall theme, and conversations

Relates plot of story to self and own experiences

Beyond Centers & Circle Time Curriculum

Learning Expectations are supported through the following:

VERBAL EXPRESSION AND COMMUNICATION

Engages in dialogue (conversation with others)

Organizes major steps of an event or story in sequential order

Uses an increasingly complex and varied spoken vocabulary and

Asks many types of questions and responds correctly to many types

Beyond Centers & Circle Time Curriculum

Beyond Centers & Circle Time Curriculum

theme Real and Make-Believe: A World of Imagination and in all four

Develops increasing sense of syllable structure in oral words

Produces rhyming words

Starts to develop an awareness of beginning sounds in words

Continues to increase awareness of the syllable structure of oral words

Learning Expectations are supported through the following:

Beyond Centers & Circle Time Curriculum

Understands concept of spoken and written word and that alphabet